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Khaliya Top in Uttarakhand might host winter games soon

The 8th India Heritage Tourism Conclave will be in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand

NGT bans construction of road proposed through CTR core area

Doon � Pantnagar air service to be suspended till March 24

Uttarakhand to get its first science city

The shooting of PM Biopic begins amid freezing temperatures

The Yamuna to be tapped to tide over Mussoorie Water crisis

Khaliya Top in Uttarakhand might host winter games soon

Uttarkhand's Munsiyari is a pearl that very few have investigated, and it would be apt to say that more coveted is the Khaliya Top here. A strange trek, far from the entire touristy glare, it is highly adored for the staggering perspectives from the top. The trek begins at around 9 km from the primary town; the spot is presently pitched as one of the conceivable venues for the winter games. Auli has been facilitating comparable occasions for certain years now.

A proposition to create Khaliya Top as a skiing slope has been made, on lines like that of Auli. The move has prompted a significant mix among the admirers of skiing, the greater part of them hailing the move. At around 350 km from Auli, Khaliya Top has geology that will support skiing. However, accepting the proposed move is the fact that the district around is reserved forest land. Thus, the forest department has forced confinements on all outdoors and business exercises in the locale.

The said land should be under the control of the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and not the Forest Department for a shot of its advancement into a skiing hub. Local people in the district are quite keen about the advancement and have been reported to be eager for the execution of the proposition.

The arrangement was first proposed in the wake of successful completion of the National Nordic and Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding in Auli just as the culmination of winter games.

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The 8th India Heritage Tourism Conclave will be in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand

The eighth India Heritage Tourism Conclave will be held on March 27 at the WelcomHotel The Savoy in the Himalayas situated in Mussoorie in Uttarakhand. The lodging has a rich history behind it and was disparaged by the Nehru family for decades.

The meeting plan was reported on March 12 in Delhi at the Roseate House, where a presentation was made on the chain. Among the individuals who talked today was Mrs Radha Bhatia, administrator of the Tourism Committee, PHDCCI, which organized the occasion.

Rajan Sehgal, co-administrator of the PHDCCI Tourism Committee, and active in the promotion of heritage and golf tourism among different areas, was additionally present and directed the procedures, welcoming industry pioneers to attend the conclave in Mussorie.

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NGT bans construction of road proposed through CTR core area

In a setback to the Uttarakhand government�s ambitious Kandi Road project which aims to connect Garhwal with Kumaon, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned construction of the proposed road that would pass through the core area of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). The 90 km long road was expected to reduce the distance between Ramnagar in Nainital and Kotdwar in Pauri Garhwal by 88 kilometres and reduce journey time by two hours. A 50 km stretch of the road was to pass through the protected forest.

The tribunal on Monday ordered the state government to construct the road as per the initial plan approved by the Supreme Court in 2005. The apex court had approved a map of a road connecting the Garhwal and Kumaon regions which were jointly prepared by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Union ministry of Forests, environment and climate change (MoEF). The plan did not include the road passing through Corbett.

The NGT was hearing a petition filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, claiming that the project violated Supreme Court�s orders as well as the Wildlife Act. �The tribunal�s order is historic as it has saved the ecology, biodiversity and wildlife of CTR,� said Bansal. The Trivendra Singh Rawat government soon after assuming power in 2017 had announced that the road would be constructed from Kotdwar to Ramnagar and pass through the core area of the CTR. The government had also approved funds of Rs 3.14 crore for a study by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, regarding the project.

However, the Union ministry of environment and forests, the National Board for Wildlife and the National Tiger Conservation Authority in an affidavit to the NGT raised an objection to the proposed road citing threat to tiger population in the reserve. In its affidavit to the green tribunal, MoEF had said, �The tiger population at Corbett Tiger Reserve is important for maintaining the viability of the entire Terai landscape and disrupting it through large-scale construction as ostensibly envisaged in the project shall jeopardize one of the few viable tiger populations in the country.� Notably, as per the latest census, the Corbett Tiger Reserve has a population of 215 tigers.

MoEF had further said that since Corbett was a national park, as per section 83 V (4) (i) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, such areas �are required to be kept as inviolate for the purposes of tiger conservation.�

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Doon � Pantnagar air service to be suspended till March 24

Suspended since a month after passengers alleged that the flight door opened mid-air, the Doon-Pithoragarh-Pantnagar air service has been further halter till March 24. Heritage Aviation, which operates the air service on this route, announced the suspension of services on Sunday.

The air services on the route were halted on February 10, a day after the door of the Pantnagar Pithoragarh-Pithoragarh flight to open amid air according to the passengers.

Mohit Negi, operation in charge, Heritage aviation, cited technical issues behind cancelling air services on this route. "The plane didn�t get fitness certificate from the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA). We have requested the state government to incorporate other air services on this route to help the passengers," said Vijay Kumar Jogdande, DM Pithoragarh. Notably, this is the 6th such announcement made by the aviation service within last one month.

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Uttarakhand to get its first science city

CM Trivendra Sing Rawat on Sunday, 10 March 2019, laid the foundation stone of the first science city in Uttarakhand. The central government has sanctioned Rs 134 crore for the project, which will be built in Jhajra on the outskirts of the city. Once completed, Uttarakhand will become the 5th state in the country to have a science city.

Other states that have science cities are West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab. "Ever since I saw the science city in Gujarat, I made up my mind that my state will also have a similar facility. Today, my dream came true. The science city will generate jobs, help in innovations and provide better education to students," Rawat said.

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The shooting of PM Biopic begins amid freezing temperatures

The shooting of a biopic based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s life started in Harsil Valley in Uttarkashi district on Friday, 8 March 2019. Sources said that during the course of a 3 day schedule, director Omung Kumar will shoot the scenes of the PM�s �spiritual phase of life� with lead actor Vivek Oberoi who is essaying Modi�s role, and his father Suresh Oberoi (who is also producing the film) playing the rule of Modi�s Guru Dayanand Giri.

The sources added that the film unit was capturing the beauty of the Harsil area even as they had to brave freezing temperatures since the mercury was dipping up to 5 degrees Celsius at night. Nitin Pundir, the local line producer of the film, said, �On the first day of the shooting schedule on March 8, Vivek Oberoi who is in the look of the 22-year-old Modi, shot a scene where he is meditating inside a cave at Harsil village. On Saturday, 9 March 2019, the scenes of both Modi and his spiritual guru praying at a temple were filmed at Kalp Kedar temple in Dharali Village.

Incidentally, Vivek Oberoi suffered a minor injury on his leg while shooting for the scene at the Kalp Kedar temple. He was administered first aid by local doctors. This delayed the day�s shoot but sources added it won�t affect the rest of the filming.

Meanwhile, the incident where Modi hoisted the Indian flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar with Murli Manohar Joshi and other BJP leaders on January 26, 1992, despite threats from terrorist groups, was also partly filmed in Harsil village. Pundir said that the biopic is nearly 80% complete now, and will be possibly released on April 5. "The teaser of the film should be out by March 27," he added. Parts of the Film have already been shot in Gujarat and Dehli. The film unit was earlier shooting in Dehradun before coming to Harsil.

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The Yamuna to be tapped to tide over Mussoorie Water crisis

Residents of Mussoorie soon may not have to face the brunt of water crisis as the central government has sanctioned a mega drinking water scheme in which water from Yamuna River would be extracted to meet the town�s water requirements. Disclosing details about the project, Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi said that the scheme has an outlay of Rs 124 crore.

"This scheme is expected to be completed within two years, once operationalised, the town�s water problems will be solved, at least for the next 30 to 40 years," Joshi claimed. Over the years, the Queen of Hills has been facing acute shortage of drinking water, particularly during the summer months.

During the peak season, the water demand touches 14.5 million litres per day (MLD), while the availability is only around 7.67 MLD, which results in a shortfall of nearly 7 MLD. The town derives its entire water supply from around 20 springs located around Mussoorie.

The water from these springs is tapped and then pumped to various reservoirs, the largest reservoir being Gunhill � which is also a major tourist attraction. Meanwhile, local residents especially hoteliers, have welcomed the announcement.

R.N. Mathur, president of Mussoorie Hotels Association, said that if the project is as announced, it would help boost tourism to the hill station. "Water scarcity during the summers is a big headache for the hoteliers, and inconvenience for tourists and residents. Acute shortages force hoteliers to restrict the use of water, and at times, fetch water from water tankers. It will be a big relief if our water woes can end," Mathur said.

Another hotelier also expressed similar sentiments. "This is a right step in the right direction. Looking at the acute water crisis in Shimla and Nainital last year, we needed to boost our water supply to be able to meet the growing demand," said Ajay Bhargava, a hotelier.

The Yamuna is the major source of irrigation for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The East Yamuna canal, West Yamuna canal, and Agra Canal are the major canals on the river. The river is tapped at wazirabad in Delhi through a barrage for drinking water supply to the national capital. Meanwhile, MLA Joshi said that other projects have also been sanctioned for the town, including the Mussoorie-Dehradun ropeway and a sports Stadium.

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